After Iran threatened to target it, what does cutting the submarine cables mean?

Amid Iranian threats to cut the submarine cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, concern is growing in the Arab region about the impact of such a move if Iran were to take it, given that digital connectivity to the internet has become central to various aspects of life, from daily life such as ordering food to regional growth plans that rely on data centers . What if Iran carries out its threats? And how will life in the region be affected?

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The magnitude of the crisis that the cutting of submarine internet cables could cause can be imagined through the statements of Ibrahim bin Sultan Al-Hashemi, Director of the Media and Communication Department at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who confirmed in the weekly briefing that the damage from cutting the submarine cables would not be limited to one party, but would extend to Iran and its neighbors.

Despite the expansion of satellite internet services such as " Starlink " and others, their importance does not match that of submarine internet cables, as indicated by a report from the American technology website "Ars Technica".

But what is the extent of the damage that could result from cutting the submarine cables that pass through the Strait of Hormuz ?

The total number of submarine cables in the region is about 17, including those in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab. Because some of these cables are outside the direct Iranian influence, targeting them requires assistance from the Houthi group in Yemen or other parties, and thus they remain threatened due to the ongoing war.

What happened in recent years when the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 (SMW4), India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE), and Falcon cables were cut in the Red Sea is a vivid example of the impact that could occur to the global internet.

The disruption of these three cables extended to include a number of Middle Eastern and European countries directly, as well as the disruption of some internet services in India.

widespread internet outage

If Iran carries out its threats to cut the submarine cables that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the first effect will be a widespread internet outage in the Arab region, specifically the Gulf Arab states.

Although the Gulf Arab states have internet cables that do not pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the number of submarine cables exceeds them, and therefore they transmit a larger volume of data.